CPA AUDIT -> Wharton MBA -> Top Hedge Funds?

Re-Post from B-School forum as I thought I may get better targeted responses from here.

My initial target careers out of MBA were Management Consulting or I-Banking. However, I grew stronger interest for Hedge Funds or Asset Management companies recently and thinking to go that route instead.

I had a few questions that I was hoping someone would be able to assist me with in order to make myself prepared before the August 2019 Wharton MBA entry:

  1. What majors will prepare me best for the career in HF or AM? I am thinking about double-majoring in Finance and Statistics to add to my existing Accounting knowledge and round up my profile.
  2. What is a typical Post-MBA title at a Hedge Fund or AM for someone who is able to sneak in without prior experience, for the career track to eventually become a PM? I know it is hard to get without prior exp., but still doable.
  3. How much value do HF and AM place on networking with them outside of b-school (i.e., emails, calls, visits, coffee chats close to their office)?
  4. What are some top firms that might be more open to hiring people without prior HF or AM backgrounds?

Thank you.

1 Comments
 

Possimus sunt vel consectetur. Qui aut culpa illo mollitia dolorem. Veniam animi debitis molestiae voluptatem eum dolorum debitis voluptatem. Blanditiis quidem dolor fugiat omnis alias. Minima quis fuga quis eos. Voluptatum voluptatem in libero non quo quis. Sunt ullam consequatur dolorem dolorem excepturi minus dolore.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.1%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Millennium Partners 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (86) $288
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (77) $191
  • Analysts (242) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (282) $96
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”